Dewplex

Desertification occurring in arid regions around the world affects an estimate of one third the world’s grasslands. Defined as a process of rapid land degradation in sub-arid, semi-arid and arid regions, desertification plays a critical role in many pressing world issues including climate change, water issues and food insecurity. While the magnitude at which these issues are experience may vary they are still real. As populations around the globe increase, the demand for such resources grows. With this we are challenged with the questions “how can we use the resources we have to restore and replenish the resources needed?”

With such an abundant resource of seawater and developing building technologies, using seawater as a resource can serve as a method in replenishing depleting resources of freshwater. Seventy percent of the earth’s surface is covered in water. Of that amount only 2.5 percent of that is freshwater. In 2005, USGS reported national water withdrawals of freshwater at 270 billion gallons per day. Of that number 44.200 million gallons were used for population and 128,000 million gallons were used for irrigation, while only a fraction of saline water is used.

The objectives of this proposal are 1. To create an ideal environment for the generation of restorative agricultures, 2. To produce fresh water using seawater and sunlight as the primary resource and 3. To abate the process of land degradation. These objectives are achieved by using the natural environment and greenhouse technologies

DEWplex is a modular vertical greenhouse system that uses seawater and sunlight to power and simulate the ideal environment needed for growth while also producing freshwater. These created climates in the pods stimulate growth in various vegetative plants while also producing freshwater resources to may be collected and used throughout DEWplex.

As surface sea water is moved through the skyscraper it is sent through two cycles of evaporation. Firstly, sea water is trickled through the greenhouse pods allowing air entering the greenhouse to cool and humidify. It then passes through a network of pipes where it is heated making the air much hotter and more humid. As the hot humid air flows towards the core of the skyscraper, it is met with a series of vertical pipes pumping cool deep seawater causing condensation of fresh water to occur. As the droplets begin to run down they are collected and stored in a reservoir

Our vision of DEWplex imagines a complex of greenhouses that replenishes natural resources and abates the rapidly growing rates of land degradation, while also creating a vertical community for researchers and visitors. As DEWplex further expands cultivation of the surrounding landscape may begin a process of healing and restoring decertifying and degrading landscapes.